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JACKSONVILLE, FLA. – The Young Survivors Group at the Women’s Center of Jacksonville will be able to continue to help young breast cancer survivors thanks to a recent $1,000 grant won through Community First Credit Union’s Investing in You contest. The grant will help secure a location for monthly meetings, provide educational materials and fund outreach efforts for the Young Survivors Group.

Bobbi de Córdova-Hanks, founder of Bosom Buddies, a longtime support group for breast cancer survivors of all ages, said the Young Survivors Group emerged from the Bosom Buddies group about two years ago as they discovered a need for more age-specific discussions. The Young Survivors Group, created to assist breast cancer survivors between the ages of 18 and 45, was in danger of being disbanded due to lack of financial support until the organization won this grant.

“Breast cancer is an ongoing battle that presents young women with a unique set of issues to confront,” said Jennifer Lewis, a Young Survivors Group member who was diagnosed at age 38. “The Young Survivors Group provides these women with a forum to share their experiences, treatment options and support with others in similar situations.”

The Young Survivors Group is the sixth winner to receive a grant through the Investing in You contest. The initiative, launched in April, invited community members to submit ideas to make the First Coast a better place. The credit union awarded $1,000 every two weeks for 90 days. Semi-finalists were chosen based on which ideas received the most “likes,” with a panel selecting the winners that would receive grant funding from Community First.

The five previous winners include:

JumpingFish – a nonprofit group advocating for First Coast waterways

Catty Shack Ranch Wildlife Sanctuary - a big cat rescue in need of a new cabin and platforms for its five tiger cubs

Rethreaded – an organization helping local victims of the sex trade industry restart their lives through a t-shirt recycling business

Camp Maddie – a therapeutic camp that provides grief recovery and support services to children affected by homicide

The S.T.A.R. Group – a new support group for parents with autistic children

“We received more than double the community improvement ideas than last year’s Investing in You contest,” said CEO of Community First Credit Union John Hirabayashi. “It’s an overwhelming experience for us as a credit union to see our community band together for collaborative improvement.”